Trip highlights: Lake Mburo, gorilla tracking in Bwindi, boat trips and game drives in Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, visiting the Batwa in Bwindi and Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest.
Day one: Arrival – Entebbe –
On arrival at the airport, you will be warmly picked by our guide who will transfer you to your hotel of Choice. B/B. Preferably in Entebbe.
Day Two: Kampala – Lake Mburo – 230 km.
After breakfast, depart Entebbe for Lake Mburo National Park having a stop to look at the local Drum makers, the Equator crossing – where you will have a coffee and be able to stand on both hemispheres of the earth, at once. You will continue to Lake Mburo for an afternoon game drive while entering the park arriving in the evening. Lake Mburo is a wildlife Island, which is an extension of the Northern Tanzanian Plains it is home to big herds of Zebra, Impala, Eland and other savannah species. For birders, this is one of the best place to find the African Finfoot, Papyrus, Bush Shrike, and money great colored birds. We will enjoy dinner at any of the lodges in lake Mburo. Full Board.
Day Three: Mburo – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. (Approx. 6.5 hours drive).
After breakfast, you will have a game drive as you depart Mburo for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Best known for its Mountain Gorillas, the Montane Forest also attracts spectacular birds. There are 23 of the 24 Albertine Rift endemics including the African Green Broadbill, Bar Tailed Trogon and other beautiful forest species. You may decide to relax in the afternoon or take a nature walk, which will lead you to the Munyaga Waterfall and get a chance to see primates such as the Grey Cheeked Mangabey Blue Monkeys and others species. Spend the night at any of the luxury/ budget lodges/camps. Full Board.
You will need to have a good night’s rest to get ready for the following day’s gorilla tracking.
Day Four: Gorilla Tracking – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
This morning you will have to wake up very early to get ready for tracking the rare and highly endangered mountain Gorillas, perhaps one of the most exciting wildlife experiences on earth. There are now only 840 individuals in the world!Bwindi has over 480 individuals
The tracking may take between 4 and 8 hours but it’s well worth the effort, there are always park guides and rangers with you who interpret the flora and fauna and the lifestyle of the Gorillas. . Depending on the time you spend in the forest tracking, if 4 or less hours, you will have a chance to relax at the camp or go for a Village walk to visit the Local Batwa Community returning to the Camp/ lodge in the evening, for Dinner and overnight. Full Board.
Day Five: Bwindi to Queen Elizabeth National Park. . (Approx. 5 hours drive).
After breakfast, you will depart Bwindi for Queen Elizabeth National Park,through the Ishasha sector, where we will be able to see Tree climbing lions, you will do a game drive, then after a lunch picnic you’ll later transfer to the Northern sector that is dotted with Euphorbia cactus.
It’s the wonder of melodies, Queen Elizabeth boasts one of the highest biodiversity concentrations per square kilometre in Africa, – from the open Savannah to Rainforest, dense Papyrus Swamps, Crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward flats in Ishasha and rocky kopjes atop volcanic hills.
Almost 100 mammal species that include Lions, Hippos, Buffaloes, Leopard, Spotted Hyena, Elephants and the elusive Giant Forest Hog plus remarkable 606 bird species that include the Shoebill Stork, Black Bee-Eater, Chapin’s’ Flycatcher, Bustards, and craters full of Lesser Flamingos,Black Chested Eagle, the Swallow Tailed Bee Eaters, to mention but a few.
The Primates include Chimps, Black and White Colobus Monkeys, Blue, Black Faced Red Colobus, and Red Tailed monkeys and Olive Baboons.
Reptiles are the amazing huge Rock-Python, Puff adders, Spitting Cobras, Gabon Rippers, Green Mambas, etc. All these are regularly sighted around the park.
. Overnight will be at any of the luxury/ budget lodges / camps on the Mweya peninsula/ Kichwamba Rift valley escapement. Full Board.
Day Six: Queen Elizabeth.
This morning, we will have a game drive to the Kasenyi sector, to look for Lion prides and other wildlife like the Uganda Kob, waterbucks, hyenas’ leopard and many more. You will return at the Lodge for breakfast.
Then go for the afternoon boat trip along the Kazinga Channel. Hippo that huff and spray mere feet away from the boat, Buffalos, Elephants that will be enjoying their afternoon baths in the channel, plus a tremendous variety of birds that grace the bushes along the shores and waters, they might include, Great White and Pink-Backed Pelicans, Great and Long-Tailed Cormorants, Open-Billed Stork, African Jacana, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers and many more. December to March offer spectacular sightings of some of the migrants bird. Overnight will be either on Mweya peninsula, or any the luxury/ budget lodges that dot the Kichwamba rift valley escarpment facing the Park. Full Board.
Day Seven: Queen Elizabeth National Park- Kibale. (Approx. 3-6 hours drive)
After Breakfast you will do a morning game drive and later transfer to Kibale Forest National Park. Kibale Forest is a large protected block of rainforest, which has the highest concentration of primates in Africa (hence the primate capital of Africa) such as Chimpanzees, Grey Cheeked Mangabey, Red Tailed monkey and Red Colobus, to mention but a few.
In the afternoon, you will go for Chimpanzee tracking in the forest, you’ll get a chance to see several bird species like the Grey-Throated Flycatcher, Masked & Black-Capped Apalis’, Chestnut-Winged Starling, Orange -Tufted & Tiny Sunbirds, Later return to lodge for Dinner and overnight at any of the crater lakes field lodges/ camps commandeering, stunning scenic views where you will be able to watch the sun, set behind the famous Rwenzori mountains. Full Board.
Day Eight: Kibale National Park – Murchison Falls. (Approx. 7 hours drive).
After breakfast, you will get on your way to Murchison Falls National park. This is a long drive, you travel north through lush evergreen tea estates, along the Rift valley escapement with great village sightings. Lunch will be in either Hoima and Masindi. Overnight will be at any of the lodges/camps in the Park. Full Board.
Day Nine: Murchison Falls.
After breakfast, you will cross the Mighty Nile River for an early morning game drive in the Nile- Albert delta plains where you have chances of viewing Lions, Giraffe, Hartebeest, Buffalo and Elephant as well as many of the other mammals of the park. For the bird enthusiast , these areas support a good number of savannah species, among them are the Secretary Bird, Black Chested Snake Eagle, Tawny and Martial Eagles Carmine and Swallow Tailed Bee-Eaters, to pick just a few. This is a beautiful drive across Borassus Palm Forest and grassland savannah down to Lake Albert where the Albert Nile heads north to the Sudan.
In the afternoon, you will go for a boat trip to the base of Murchison Falls where the Nile thunders through a small 7-meter gap, or down river to the delta where the Nile empties into Lake Albert. This is an experience not to be missed! The banks of the Nile are home to many wildlife species. You may see huge Nile Crocodiles, big schools of Hippos and other wildlife that may come down to drink from the river. Back to lodge/camp for dinner and overnight.
Full Board.
Day Ten: Murchison Falls – Kampala. (approx. 6 hours drive).
Early game drive to the Top of Murchison Falls where you can have a close look into the gorge where the Nile squeezes into a 7 meter gorge dropping 40 meters. The falls are spectacular and thunderous with a beautiful rainbow displayed on sunny days.
Later drive back to Kampala/Entebbe and transfer to the airport to catch your flight back home.
